Sloppy Joe

Yes, Sloppy Joe’s…the oft maligned cafeteria and campground food. Essentially, Sloppy Joe’s are known for being cheap, quick, and composed mostly of processed foods. They’re not necessarily known for being tasty. However, we’re here to tell you that Sloppy Joe’s can be delicious and made from foods you can pronounce, while still retaining the trademark look and flavor of the classic sandwich. We used a mix of both green and red peppers and made a sauce full of smoky, spicy, and sweet flavor. We piled our Sloppy Joe filling onto toasted sesame buns and topped it off with some creamy coleslaw. I don’t think Sloppy Joe’s are ever going to be considered classy or elegant but try this recipe and you’ll agree that they CAN be delicious!

Katryn’s Wine Pairing: Trapiche Malbec, 2013
Rating: 6.35 out of 10.0

Yeah, so this wine was highly mediocre. It just had no body and seemed to disappear on the palette. The nose was ok…full of berry, vanilla, and a little smokiness. The start of the sip was also ok (if a little…salty?) but then the flavor and body disappeared to nothing. Wouldn’t buy again or recommend!

This beer was a great, mild, IPA that doesn’t smack you in the face like most IPAs do these days. The citurs hops were well balanced by malty sweetness and a medium body. The hops helped cut through the sweet and spicy sauce of the Sloppy Joe while the malt help compliment the brown sugar.

1. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the peppers, onion, and garlic, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 6 minutes.
2. Add the tomato paste, stir to combine, and cook until the raw flavor has cooked out, about 1 minute.
3. Increase the heat to medium high, add the ground beef, and cook, breaking the meat into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon, until it’s just cooked through and no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
4. Add the chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and measured salt, stir to coat the meat and vegetables, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the tomato sauce, water, vinegar, Worcestershire, and brown sugar, stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld and the mixture thickens, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
5. Add the tomato sauce, water, vinegar, Worcestershire, and brown sugar, stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld and the mixture thickens, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.